Motoring Writer

Toyota’s new 86 sports coupe will cost roughly $10,000 less than established hot hatches such as the Volkswagen GTI and Subaru WRX, with a starting price of $29,990 plus on-road costs. A better equipped GTS version will start from $35,490, while an automatic transmission will cost $2500 on both models.

The sharp price tag delivers on the company’s promise that the rear-wheel-drive, four-seater 86 coupe would be “a return to Toyota’s sporting roots” at an affordable price.

“Toyota has created something that people have wanted, but didn’t exist - a compact, light, basic sports car with balance and handling rated in the same league as some legendary sports cars,” says Callachor. He adds the car will be seen as a halo car and will “expand the brand into a new dimension of driving performance”.

"The most important aspect of the 86 is that it will provide a huge image boost for the brand."

Toyota has a reputation for building “A to B” style cars, and this new model is designed shake that, according to Callachor.

“It is a game-changer, demonstrating Toyota’s commitment to ‘waku doki’ - designing and engineering cars that really get your heart pumping,” he says.

The company says it expects the car to pull buyers away from more illustrious and expensive brands. Aside from the obvious targets of the Mazda MX5 and Golf GTI, it is also targeting buyers of Audi's TT, Alfa's Brera and BMW's 125. It will also compete with its twin under the skin, the Subaru BRZ, which will launch next month.

The 86 is the product of collaboration between Toyota and Subaru. Both are powered by the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder direct-injection “boxer” engine. It produces 147kW of power and 205Nm of torque, with momentum coming from the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or optional six-speed automatic transmission.

Fuel use for the 86 is rated at 7.8L/100km for the manual model and improves to 7.1L/100km for the automatic. Toyota says the 86 must run on premium (98 RON or higher) fuel.

The GT comes standard with 16-inch alloys (plus a full-size steel spare), daytime running lights, cruise control, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, voice recognition and USB and auxiliary inputs. The automatic GT model is the only model to miss out on a limited-slip differential.

The GTS adds 17-inch wheels with a full-size alloy spare, high-intensity-discharge headlights with LED daytime running lamps, aluminium pedals, leather and alcantara trim and red stitching, heated front seats, dual-zone airconditioning and a 6.1-inch media screen for the satellite navigation (which includes live traffic updates). It also gets fog lights, smart key with push button start and paddle-shifters on the steering wheel on automatic versions.

Toyota expects the cheaper GT to make up 60 per cent of sales.

Safety equipment for all 86 models includes seven airbags and a multi-mode stability control system with a race mode so the computers don’t intervene on the track.

All 86 models come in a 2+2 seat layout, with Toyota claiming the rear seats are designed for people shorter than 170cm – or the back can just be used for storage.

It may look substantial in the pictures, but the 86 is actually shorter than a Corolla (4240 millimetres versus 4245mm). It is wider than a Rukus (1775mm v 1760mm) and sits considerably lower than a Yaris hatch (1285mm vs 1510mm).

The kerb weight of the 86 starts at just 1222kg.

The 86 is available in seven colours: white, grey, silver, black, blue, red and the signature orange.

Prices keep dropping and we should expect this to continue if the exchange rate stays close to parity: a Toyota Camry is $22K in the US and a Toyota Corolla is $16K.

At $30K Toyota should sell a lot of 86s and the prices of competitors will have to adjust. For example, an MX-5 is $48K: that sort of disparity can't continue for long.

Commenter

Chris

Location

Sydney

Date and time

June 04, 2012, 4:56PM

Its $22k + taxes, which in some states adds another 20%, making it only slightly more expensive than a Camry is here, which is pretty good for a market that is less than one-tenth the size. And the reason they can make them more cheaply is that they use non-union labour at half the cost of the unionised labour forces of GM, Ford and Chrysler. Remember, US Toyotas are made in the US, down to low US standards, they don't come from the same factories our models do.

Commenter

MotorMouth

Location

Sydney

Date and time

June 05, 2012, 8:32AM

A stunning price by Toyota for a car that would have still had a huge waiting list even if it was $10,000 more.

But what worries me is WHY they priced it like this. On the good side, it may be cause they want to create an icon, have strong resale values (this car will likely be flipped by many for 2-5K profit) and perhaps have a huge aftermarket parts line ready (many of these cars will be heavily modified soon).

But could it be that Toyota wants to price a new model that would be hard hit in a severe economic downturn with a huge cushion to give it a successful launch, no matter what happens?

Commenter

borys

Location

Date and time

June 04, 2012, 7:02PM

Good evening Mr Optimistic. May I top up your half full glass?

Commenter

Waha

Location

Date and time

June 05, 2012, 11:54PM

vocab police alert

you could argue that momentum is the right word if u r talking rolling mass x kinetic energy ~

but i think "power to rear wheels" is more correct, given u just wasted u momentum by braking hard at the last corner in this kind of car

Commenter

peterc

Location

Date and time

June 05, 2012, 2:48PM

Please, if you are going to comment on vocabulary at least try and use correct grammar. "u" and "r" are not words, they are letters of the alphabet that, when put in the correct sequence, make words.